A Formalistic and Semiotic Critique of "Time management" Painting by Alexander Gorlizki

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Painting and Sculpture, School of Visual Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.​

2 Master in Persian Painting, Department of Painting and Sculpture, School of Visual Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran.

Abstract

In the last decades, the process of selection and manipulation of ancient pictorial cultures, traditional arts, and folk art in contemporary European painting follows a very significant trend. During the last few centuries, European artists have traveled to India and got familiar with Indian art, especially Mughal Miniature painting and its various schools, and were influenced by it in creating their paintings. Alexander Gorlizki is a prolific artist who has created various artworks in different fields with the influence of Mughal miniature painting due to his special view. Among the many artworks of this artist, his paintings, which are mainly executed with water-soluble paints on paper, have received more attention than his other artworks. Gorlizki's works show a unique space in which the relationship of elements to each other is not based on familiar definitions, and various visual elements do not pursue their usual concepts and refer to things beyond themselves, so that in some cases the connections of these signs are not readily apparent to the audience at first glance. Nowadays, referring to traditional arts, especially very delicate and complex art such as Miniature painting, is a very important challenge for many artists. Understanding the possibilities of Miniature painting for use in Contemporary art is a difficult process. The art of Miniature painting in general has many possibilities for use in contemporary art, including painting and illustration, and it can be a source of inspiration and adaptation for many artists as an artistic heritage. Because many artists in Iran are creating works in the field of painting today, and also the recognition and general knowledge of artists in the field of Miniature painting has increased compared to the past, it is very important to know how other artists in the world get ideas from Persian and Mughal Miniature painting in creating their artworks. This research has been done to answer the question in the "Time management" painting as a visual system: What connections can the form components have with the semiotic system? The work "Time Management" was selected among Gorlizki's figurative paintings that were exhibited in the exhibition entitled "We Are One" at the Galerie Eric Mouchet from 2014 to 2015 because it represents the artist's style in his figurative paintings very well. This painting can generally be seen as a work that shows the artist's visual communication with the world around him. “Time management” depicts that aspect of today's world where an artist, like any other human being, is surrounded by an abundance of information and images. Gorlizki is an artist who extracts these various elements from a huge mass, sometimes in a completely random process and sometimes in a selective way, based on very personal criteria and ideas, goes beyond the facts and creates his new reality in such a way that the audience is surprised and drowned in the paintings to discover a new world.

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Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Fine Arts: Visual Arts
Volume 30, Issue 1
April 2025
Pages 95-106

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